Unit Testing is Part of a Developer's Job
Posted on November 24, 2004 by Scott Leberknight
Today I was discussing software development with several colleagues. We started talking about unit testing and one developer mentioned he simply didn't have time to write unit tests and needed to get the code written and shipped. I won't bother trying to argue whether unit testing saves time and money and produces higher-quality software in the long run or not (of course I think it does but that's not the point here). My point is simply this: I think unit testing is a part of a developer's job in the same way that using version control is part of a developer's job. Most projects nowadays would never consider not using version control. Using version control is simply an accepted part of software development that adds significant value during software construction. I think unit testing should have the same status, such that projects simply consider unit testing part of every developer's normal job. There should not be separate schedule items for unit testing like you so often see on project teams. When I write code now I literally do not feel confident about it if I don't have corresponding test cases.